PUBLISHED ONDecember 26, 2024 9:44 AMBySyarifah NadhirahThree years before the drama that shot him to fame, South Korean actor Lee Min-ho was injured in a serious car crash that halted his acting career.
The 37-year-old, who played the iconic Gu Jun-pyo in Boys over Flowers (2009), appeared on the Dec 25 episode of Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho's variety talk show You Quiz on the Block, where he recalled the 2006 accident that occurred while he was travelling to Gangwon province with his actor friend Jung Il-woo.
"The accident made major news in Gangwon province because it was fatal," he said.
"Everyone in the perpetrator's vehicle lost their lives. I spent almost a year confined to the hospital, unable to do anything but lie down."
Their vehicle had collided with a drunk driver's car that crossed the centreline. Min-ho, who was 20 years old then, came out with a torn cartilage and broken thighbone, going through a seven-month recovery process and spending almost a year in hospital.
He continued: "I had just become an adult, and had all kinds of dreams and ambitions. When everything suddenly came to a halt, all I could do was think. I went through denial, anger, depression and eventually acceptance."
Il-woo, now 37, was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm but recovered before Min-ho did. Jae-suk mentioned how the former quickly rose to fame through the sitcom High Kick! (2006-2007).
Min-ho admitted that he experienced mixed emotions and "hated" himself for feeling that way: "I wanted to cheer him on and celebrate his success wholeheartedly, but part of me felt impatient. I wanted to be recognised and make my mark in society too. I wondered why I couldn't fully celebrate for my friend and felt conflicted."
Min-ho also talked about his predebut days and revealed he had turned down three casting offers from K-pop agency SM Entertainment, which manages groups like Shinee and Girls' Generation.
"I had no talent for dancing or singing, so I wondered, 'Why are they casting me?'… I was asked to dance, and when I did, they said, 'I'm not a good dancer, but I have a sense of rhythm,'" he recalled with a laugh.
He added: "They asked me for my parents' contact information, so I ran away from them."
Recalling his audition for the role of Jun-pyo in Boys over Flowers, Min-ho shared that he wore the manga character's iconic perm,which surprised the crew.
According to him, no one else did so.
He added: "To me, it showed my desperation. To be honest, at a young age, it wasn't a hairstyle that looked cool."
"Jun-pyo is a chaebol (heir), but I was going through a very difficult situation at the time. The difference between us was too big."
He revealed that his mother single-handedly supported the family: "Back then, things were so bad that my whole family had to live apart... Seeing my mother looking at all the bills by herself, she seemed so small and lonely."
"Even though I was young, I wanted to quickly enter society and lighten my mother's burden," he added. "I remember giving her one million won (S$940) that I earned from a commercial once. She was so happy."
Min-ho expressed his love for his mother: "She is the person who keeps me grounded and the one I love the most."
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